Cygnus Rising - Chapter 26 Outtake - Hopeless
by Rel8tivity
Summary: This was supposed to be Chapter 26 of Cygnus Rising. From Edward's point of view, it covers the time from before Bella is captured by the Volturi, to the time before the Cullens go to meet the Volturi. It gave a little too much away so it landed on the cutting room floor. Fandom 4 Oklahoma contribution.


**Summary: **When Bella was captured by the Volturi, she had no idea what Edward and the family went through. This is an account through Edward's eyes.

_**A/N**__: This outtake occurs at about the time period of Chapter 25 – _En Prise_, in which Bella gets captured by the Volturi. I originally was going to present Edward's account of Bella's abduction as the next chapter, but it revealed too much of the plot. Instead, I donated it to the Fandom for Oklahoma effort, to raise money for the tornado stricken area.  
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_I'd like to take a moment to thank _Katmom_, who works her beta magic and makes it look like I write like a human being, and _Sherryola_, who pre-reads for me and keeps me from wandering too far off the reservation. Thank you, ladies, so very much! You guys are awesome! mwah!_

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Chapter 26 Outtake – Hopeless

After the squad leaders' meeting, I again accompanied Bella back to her sentry post. She was rather quiet as we walked, and the soft sounds of the morning forest made it feel like a peaceful hike in the woods, rather than marching back to our battle stations. I held my hand out to the side and, unerringly, without a word being exchanged, Bella nestled her hand where it was always meant to be. For the moment, I didn't mind not knowing her thoughts, content to enjoy the feel of her small hand in mine.

Bella strode along the trail, her long, dark hair gathered at the nape of her neck into a gently swaying ponytail. For the umpteenth time, I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sight of her face – her soft, pale cheeks beckoned to me to kiss them, her long, graceful neck plunging down until covered by the collar of her shirt. It didn't matter that camouflage was not an attractive pattern; Bella could wear a burlap sack and I still couldn't keep my eyes off her.

Her crimson eyes, however, betrayed the state of her mind – eyebrows were pulled together, forming the little crease between them, staring into the distance with her thoughts. If only I could remove her worry as easily as I could read the thoughts of others around me. "Are you still concerned about what happened last night, love?" I asked.

Bella gave me a quick glance and a shake of her head. "Not as much as before. Now I'm just thinking of what Jasper has in mind for tonight. If we're going to attack them, how's that going to go down? You guys play chess a lot better than I do, so it's hard for me to imagine how we'll fight Jane and Alec without getting a lot of us killed."

I gave her hand a squeeze, trying to reassure her. "We'll just have to have a little faith in Jasper and Eleazar. They've seen a lot of conflict, and have a lot of experience. Once the scouts find Jane and Alec, Jasper will figure out how to come at them. We may use the cover of the trees to keep Jane from getting a clear shot at us."

My mate didn't seem convinced, and pursed her lips. "I suppose so," she said dubiously. "I just wish the wolves weren't all affected by Jane at the same time."

"That is unfortunate," I agreed. "We're operating in uncharted waters right now, as this is the first time we've seen the wolves and the Volturi in action against each other. And the wolf link was so useful the last time we fought together."

Bella frowned in concern. "Does it hurt you, too? When Jane uses her power on them?"

I couldn't keep the grimace off my face as the ugly memories of Volterra and Jane rose up. Exhaling, I pushed the thoughts away and composed myself. I couldn't add to her worries. "I know what Jane's power feels like first hand, so it's not the same, coming through the wolves' thoughts. But it's still not pleasant."

"Why do you suppose it hits the wolves, but doesn't affect you the same? They're reading each other's minds just like you, aren't they?"

I shook my head. "I don't think we work the same way. The wolves are able to hear each other from hundreds of miles away. I'm only good for a few miles. That may have something to do with it."

We arrived at Bella's post at that moment, and she turned to me, compassion softening her frown. "That must be so awful for you. I wish I could be there to shield you when it happens."

She raised a gentle hand to my face, and I closed my eyes slightly as a shiver ran down the back of my neck. I shrugged and smiled carelessly. "Don't worry, love, now that I know what to expect, it'll be much easier."

I pulled her close and she stepped into my arms eagerly. "I should get to my post," I whispered. Bella nodded, closed her eyes and raised her lips to mine. The scent of strawberries and freesia seized my senses and I felt as though my heart had expanded to fill my entire chest. My arms tightened around Bella's waist, and her hands played across my back and shoulders. Never did I appreciate not needing to breathe more than when kissing my wife. Always when she was human we had to stop before she passed out. If not for the confounded Volturi, we could go on and on…

Bella surprised me by pulling back. That was not something she usually did. She gave me a shaky little laugh. "Hey, you better not start something you can't finish."

I chuckled, and agreed. "I should go." But before I did, I held her close again, and buried my nose in her hair, with my cheek against her ear, swaying slightly back and forth. As we broke apart, I felt a distinct pang, and couldn't resist softly kissing her cheek before I left.

I easily jogged the miles to my lonely post. When I arrived, I gave my area a careful inspection, followed by a mental sweep. I could make out the thoughts of Brady, the young wolf Jacob had stationed at the post to my left, but that was all. Bella was stationed an equal distance to my right, but I never expected to hear her thoughts. That mental ambiguity had become as much a part of her character as her scent. Nothing else roamed the forest but animals.

Setting part of my mind to monitor my surroundings, I let the rest of it drift. Naturally, thoughts of Bella rose to the fore, and the feel of her lips on mine lingered. The last month in Denali had been rather enjoyable, once she had gained control over her rage episodes. That month ranked high on my list of favorite memories. Had I known it would be cut short, I would have savored it more. If only I hadn't brought our current situation down on us, by making that hare-brained visit to Volterra. Aro would have remained blissfully unaware of Alice's powers or mine. Bella and I could have been simply waiting out her newborn period before we could go on with our lives. As much as I had promised Bella to try and look on the positive side, I couldn't help regretting that we might not get our happily ever after.

Once again, I ran possible outcomes through my head, but nothing particularly appealing came to mind. Escape was only possible if we could dispose of Demetri. One of the thoughts I had picked up from him when we were in Volterra spoke of his prowess. As a challenge, he had tracked a human literally around the world. The feat had involved picking up the 'trail' from a single handkerchief that had not been in the owner's possession for a year. He was _that_ good.

Bella's gift could allow us to escape, but would only be successful at the cost of abandoning part of my family. That thought was so reprehensible I dismissed it immediately. I loved my family and owed them better than that. If not for Carlisle, I never would have met Bella, and that was a debt I could never repay.

Neutralizing Alec was critical. Although Jane had the more fearsome talent, she couldn't stop our entire force. Even though she could immobilize the wolf pack, she couldn't affect the rest of us at the same time. Alec, on the other hand, could simply spread his gift in a wide net, and it wouldn't matter that we outnumbered them twenty-five to four. We had to get close enough to attack. I had pulled a few images of Alec in action from Eleazar's thoughts, and they showed him mostly immobilizing enemies in front of him. I hoped this meant we might be able to maneuver to his blind side, but that was a big unknown. There were too many unknowns in the current situation for me to have any kind of comfort level, and I worried at it, hoping some kind of inspiration might come to me.

About late afternoon, I heard my radio come to life.

"Jasper? It's Bella." My ears perked up, and I wondered what was going on.

"Yes?"

"Sorry to bother you, but I'm running out of Kate's ointment. I've been using a lot more to mask my scent. I should get some more before patrol tonight."

"All right," Jasper replied. "We'll shift over to cover your area."

"Thanks, Jasper." The radio clicked as Bella released the channel.

Without Jasper asking, I headed for a spot where I could cover both Bella's area and my own. I smiled with pride that Bella was thinking ahead, making sure she would be safe while running patrol with the wolves. That's one thing that seemed to have changed from when she was human — she took a longer view of things now. It still astonished me how single-minded she was in insisting we could be intimate while she was still human, and she would be safe from my strength. She was always dismissing the dangers that stood in the way of what she wanted. I shook my head ruefully; she always had to find things out the hard way.

But hard way or soft, tonight's events would depend on what the scouts found when they went out. We could be in a life or death fight before the night was over, or we might stake out and surround Jane's force in the forest. Either way, there was nothing to do for now but watch, and wait.

Normally, the activity of waiting is not difficult for a vampire. Our bodies take to inactivity easily and our mental processes can take us in different directions. Unfortunately, I couldn't let myself go off wool gathering, and needed to keep alert, and focused on my surroundings. My mental sense also picked up Brady's sleepy thoughts. He really shouldn't have volunteered when Jacob asked him to stand watch for a while. I debated mentioning this to Jasper, thinking we should have all members of our force rested and at their best —

Without warning, all the nerves in my body lit up and my hands clutched my head, trying to keep the pain from breaking it apart. Every square inch of skin screamed as if it was peeled off. Incandescent flames charred the flesh off my bones and my limbs quivered as a bolt of lightning played up and down my body.

My ears registered the howls of agony filling the forest. Or was that coming from me? Somewhere a wolf was held in Jane's grip, and me with him. With great effort, I pushed the thoughts of the wolf pack away, my mind curling up as if in a fetal position. When I had enough separation, I could open my eyes. It felt so real, I was a bit disoriented to see my extremities uninjured. I had told Bella that feeling Jane's gift secondhand wasn't as bad as when experienced directly. It wasn't a complete lie, but all that was missing was the red-hot poker thrust into the base of my skull.

With the pain-filled thoughts of the wolves pushed into the background, I could function again, and realized Jasper was shouting at me through the radio.

"Edward! Report! Which wolf is under attack?"

I wondered how Jane could have penetrated so close without being detected, and grabbed my radio. I wouldn't be getting any coherent thoughts from the wolves.

"This is Edward! I can't get anything from them! Can anyone tell who's being attacked? We need to get there!" My family all returned negative replies. None of the wolves on the sentry line were in danger. I didn't have much choice.

Taking a several deep breaths, I closed my eyes and carefully opened my mind back to the wolves, grimacing against the transmitted torture. I searched through the pain-riddled thoughts, flitting from one to the next with just enough time to see what they could see, but all were alone in a forest setting. Suddenly I caught a glimpse of grey cloaks, and open sand...and a small figure in camouflage clothing...

"Bella!"

My incoherent roar echoed off the surrounding landscape and before I knew it I was in motion, shutting the wolf link back down again. I barely knew where I was racing; only knowing that she was on a beach. I raised the radio again. "They're at the beach! Bella's with them!" I didn't wait to hear an acknowledgement, and poured all my strength into my panicked flight. All four Guardsmen might be there, but I didn't care. They could not have her!

While I ran, the howl of agonized wolves suddenly ceased. Touching the wolf link, I sensed the white-hot pain had been replaced by a blackness so deep it seemed to suck the breath out of me. Alec. But this lack of sensation didn't debilitate the wolves, and they began to communicate.

_Who are we missing?_ That authoritarian voice belonged to Sam.

_It's Jake! Me and Bella are at First Beach! Get your asses down here!_

I ground my teeth as Jacob's call for help confirmed my suspicions, and quickly relayed the information. Barely altering stride, I changed course to cross the Quileute Peninsula, all the time lamenting my luck to be posted at a position farthest from the beach.

A string of curses I never let Bella hear me speak erupted from my lips, fueling my haste. What the hell was she doing with him again? I thought she had returned to our campsite to get more ointment, in preparation for the evening patrol, not gone off to talk to Jacob. It was like the last months of senior year, all over again.

A sudden chill struck me, and I actually had to keep myself from stumbling. Was I right in my theory that her feelings for Jacob had been locked in, and she was acting upon them? Was I never to be free from being dogged by this interloper? My love for Bella had been scribed indelibly into the fabric of my being; that was the way with vampire mates. But he was not her mate. He couldn't be; we only got one. Or so I thought. The fickle gods could not have built a more fitting purgatory for me.

Ruthlessly, I pushed my rising anguish aside. Bella's safety was my priority; nothing else mattered besides that. I would deal with the dog at another time.

After what seemed like an eternity of running, I finally burst out of the forest and down the road to First Beach. Flying through the parking lot, I belatedly noted that no cars were in sight, no humans on the beach. Carlisle, Jasper had arrived before me, as had Sam and Embry. Bella was nowhere to be seen, nor were the Volturi. One large, russet-colored wolf loped up from the water.

"Where is she?" I demanded, as I drew to a stop before Jacob.

_They took her._ His thoughts were colored with his dismay.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach, as my worst fears were realized. My hands twisted into claws, reaching out to Jacob as if he was hiding her. "Where? Which way did they go?"

_I couldn't see anything. That other sicko had me._

The last image I had from Jacob had them closer to the water. I frantically broke away from him and followed his stench down to the broken driftwood tree. From there I picked up the floral of Bella's fragrance, and the scents of the Volturi, which led me into the surf…where they faded away. Despair struck me, heavy and unrelenting, as I scanned the ocean for any sign of them, but there was nothing but the slate-grey waves. I turned and saw that the others had followed me down to the water's edge. Jacob stopped closest to me. I imagine I looked quite crazed, because they all stopped, and Jacob simply stared at me while I advanced on him.

I had no filter, no control, simply screamed in my anguish. "Why? Why didn't you stop them?"

_Hey, I'd like to see _you_ try, bloodsucker —_

"Aaughh!"

My fist flew on its own, cracking the wolf across the muzzle and sending him flying back. But before I could continue after him, Jasper tackled me to the sand. Eleazar joined him in restraining me, and several wolves ranged themselves in front of their fallen alpha, fangs bared and growling.

Jasper started to work on me with his gift, but I continued to rage at the rotten mongrel. "Why? What the hell were you doing talking to her again? She's my wife! MY WIFE! What'll it take to get it through your head? It's OVER! Stop trying to come between us!"

Jacob raised his head from where he had fallen, panting heavily, and whined. _Get a grip! It's not like that, man. I didn't come looking for her. She wanted to ask Leah how I was doing. Lemme show you._

Image by image, memory by memory, Jacob began showing me the sequence of events that had occurred. Fortunately for him, I could feel the sincerity in his thoughts. He hadn't sought Bella, and was surprised to encounter her when he was expecting to find Leah. I also could see the discomfort on Bella's face when she saw him, and it wasn't a look of affection. The fierce anger on her sweet face as she knocked him for a loop was a balm to my soul. She hadn't snuck off to see an old flame; it had just been circumstance.

Jacob concluded the re-telling with the arrival of the Volturi. I still winced when Jacob recalled Jane's attack, and he ended the replay after Bella had shielded him.

_They let me go so I could deliver a message for them_. Jacob shifted to a sitting position.

"Go on."

'_Bella will be our guest for the foreseeable future. Do not attempt to find her or there will be consequences.'_

"No. No. Not that…" I didn't think I could feel any worse, and an agony of despair filled my chest as my fears were made real. I collapsed and buried my head in my hands. My love, my life, lay prisoner in the hands of the worst of the Volturi guard. From what little I had picked up from her, Jane hated Bella. No one had ever frustrated Jane before, and I shied away from imagining what horrors she might do in retaliation.

"Edward! Edward!" Carlisle shook my shoulder, and roused me out of my torment. "What did Jacob say? What did you see?"

I pushed myself up to a sitting position, and Eleazar stood to give me space. "Bella's been taken hostage by the Volturi. Jane, Alec and the other two were here. They said not to look for her...or else."

Words of dismay from my family rose and fell around me. Even the wolves muttered and whined. A soft hand perched on my shoulder, and I hung my head, silently accepting Alice's comfort.

Jasper's grim voice broke the mournful silence. "All right. It's still not dark yet, so we need to get back under cover. Back at Quil's place, leader's meeting. Let's move!"

Carlisle helped me to my feet, and I turned my numb steps to follow them. We disappeared into the trees, beyond fortunate that no humans had been out today to see the wolves.

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

It was with great difficulty that I held onto my composure. Every nerve impulse in my body screamed to go back to the beach, and start tracking the Volturi scum who had abducted my mate. Unfortunately, the ocean was vast, and there would be no scent to track in water. I could barely stand the thought that every passing second took Bella farther and farther away from me.

Jasper, Eleazar, Carlisle and I assembled with Sam and Jacob near Old Quil's place. Twilight had fallen, so the rest of our numbers returned to their sentry positions with instructions not to stray from their places. I thought that last order was unnecessary as Bella was the only one likely to break it.

The two tribesmen had changed back to human form, for easier communication. With my enhanced vision, I could see some purple bruises still marking Jacob's chin, but they were already beginning to fade.

Jasper cleared his throat to get our attention, his expression very grave. "Our original plan tonight was to send scouts out, and try to locate Jane and her friends. Now that they have Bella, I think a reassessment is in order."

"We can't sit around and do nothing," Jacob objected.

Eleazar held up his hand. "What do you propose? If you're detected, they'll surely harm her."

A number of heads turned in my direction, and to be honest, I was very conflicted. I wanted to send every man we had in a desperate attempt to find her, but the message from the Volturi warned us. Jane was ruthless enough to kill Bella without pity if we crossed her. I clenched my fists in frustration. "I want to look for her, believe me, I want to. But they left you alive for a reason — to pressure Bella, and to carry their message. In fact, I'm surprised they _didn't_ kill you, just to show us they were serious."

"We should look for her! Isn't Bella worth it?"

Jasper shook his head. "Jacob, it's not a matter of worth. What do you _think_ they meant by their message? 'Come out, come out wherever you are?' What do you think they'll do to Bella if you go blundering out there and stumble across them?"

I dropped my head into my hands, and buried my fingers in my hair. "I should just turn myself in," I muttered. "Aro wants me. Then maybe Jane will spare the rest of you."

"You don't know that," Sam spoke. "They might be hoping you'll do that, but once they have the upper hand, what's to stop them from demanding more?"

Jasper spoke gently, and I could feel the calming waves he was sending. "And he wants Alice, too. Edward, even if we'd let you do it, you don't know where they are, to turn yourself in. As hard as it may be, we need to see what their demands are. Most kidnappers want _something_. Once we know what they're after, we can figure out how to proceed."

"Can you do that, Edward? I don't want you doing anything foolish." Carlisle's appeal was a double-edged blade.

I sighed and hung my head before answering him. "I'll try. It kills me to just sit here, though."

Jasper clapped me on the shoulder. "I know what you mean. But…I wasn't suggesting you merely sit here, though."

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

_Jeez, are you vamps always this clumsy, or are you trying to wake up the whole forest?_

I ground my teeth, holding in the snarl that begged to be released. The sound from the twig I had stepped on wasn't that loud, but it was more noise than I usually made moving through the forest. I was a little distracted, straining as far forward as I could with my mental senses, to make sure we weren't detected or caught unaware. I stopped moving and spoke in the lowest of whispers. "If you think you can sense them without getting close, go right ahead without me. Jane or Alec would love to play with you again."

Jacob winced at that suggestion. Not for the first time, I wished it had been another wolf along with me on this task. Jasper had changed the reconnaissance plan. Instead of a number of wolves sent out to search for signs of the Volturi, it was one, with me as an early warning system. Jacob was only along to provide communication with the rest of our forces. Any of the wolves could have done that, but Jacob had insisted.

"Jacob, you've been carping at me all night long, and at this rate you'll likely keep me from hearing anybody's thoughts until we're right on top of them. If you continue, you're going to get us killed because you can't shut up!"

Jacob grumbled. _At least I can move without warning everybody we're coming._

With difficulty, I controlled myself, clenching my fists so hard I could have formed coal into a diamond. "Considering you hate me so much, why did you insist on coming? It would make more sense to send Sam, or one of the others."

His chest moved with a canine sigh, and he lowered his head. _If you have to know, I need to do this. I let them take her; I need to help find her_.

I stood there, gazing at his droopy demeanor. He still resented me, but it was difficult to hold a grudge when he was sincere in his desire to help Bella. "I appreciate that," I said, grudgingly. "And I apologize for striking you without knowing the full story. I was a little upset."

Jake made a low rumble in his throat. _Yeah, I guess I'll just have to owe you one._

I smirked at that, and let it go. It would have to wait for another time.

Jacob and I continued through the forest, moving in a zigzag search pattern to cover most of the forest, moving in a roughly north-eastern direction. Since we could find no trace of Volturi scent on our side of the river, we were working on the assumption that they had come from the north. Our pattern was fairly painstaking, and we had to be cautious.

When we had traveled to a location perhaps forty miles from the Quileute Reservation, as we topped a ridge somewhere in the Olympic National Forest, I thought I heard a whisper of thoughts. Coming to a stop, I motioned for Jacob to be quiet and closed my eyes to concentrate. The sounds of the night forest intruded, and I wished they could be turned off. Then I heard it again, and my fingers gripped a nearby tree, splintering the bark in my excitement.

It was Bella's dear voice. Barely a murmur over the ambient noises, somehow she had found a way to send me her thoughts. I thanked providence that made people's thoughts and voices sound the same. But I had little time to enjoy hearing her mental voice for the first time. She was relaying information on the Volturi.

_... you have to listen to me! There are more than four Volturi here. Aro, Caius and Marcus are here, too. There are twenty-five total. All the guard! You and Jasper were right. Take the family and run! There's no way you can beat them all! Don't worry about me, I'll find a way to get free. I'll find you. I love you more than anything_.

I reached out, straining my gift to its maximum, but couldn't get a good enough connection to see what she was seeing. All I could get were her feathery words. The news that the entire force was here made my body feel cold. That settled it. Just as with previous attempts, they were here with the whole army to settle accounts. There was no way this was a misunderstanding.

I quietly relayed the information to Jacob, and he passed it on through the wolf link. I wished I could somehow get word to Bella that she had gotten through, but she began repeating the information again, so she likely had no idea she had reached me.

With the news that the entire Volturi guard was in Forks, this changed things. Jasper ordered us back to the reservation and I wasn't about to argue. We took a direct route back to La Push, trying not to make noise, but moving as quickly as possible. I wanted to see what Jasper thought about the situation, now.

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

Even with the warning, we didn't have any time for discussion. Shortly after Jacob and I returned to the clearing near Quil's house, one of the wolf sentries growled a warning. It was Embry, and in his thoughts I could see a lone vampire, standing on the other side of the river, holding a piece of white cloth.

Just to make sure this wasn't a diversion, Jasper ordered everybody to maintain their positions and stay alert. The six of us rushed down to the river near Embry's position. On closer inspection, I could see the man on the other side was Demetri.

"Where's Bella?" I yelled, before we even came to a stop at the water's edge.

Demetri lowered his white flag. "She's safe at the moment."

"Why have you taken her?"

"You don't need to know that right now."

Jasper raised his voice. "If you know what's good for you, you'll bring her back here unharmed. There's a pack of wolves just waiting for the signal to kill you where you stand."

Demetri gave a sickening laugh. "You're not in any position to make demands. If I don't return in one hour, Jane will kill Bella. Perhaps I'll be dead, but somehow I don't think you'll want to live with the consequences."

I weighed a dozen responses, but finally capitulated. "What do you want?"

"It's simple," he replied. "Aro wants to see you, and Alice, too. Meet here after midnight. Bring Alice and be ready to travel."

Carlisle stepped forward indignantly. "So, first you kidnap Bella, and now you want to take two more of my family? Did Aro tell you to do this?"

Demetri shrugged. "I just follow orders, and you'll do well to do the same. I've told you what to do, if you want Bella to keep living. If you don't obey, she'll die first, and then the rest of you will follow. You know what Jane and Alec can do."

"I want to hear it from Aro," Carlisle insisted. "If you're in contact with him, tell him I want to see him. I want to know why the man I once called my friend would do this to me and my family."

"I'll pass the message. But be careful of what you ask for." Demetri smirked and took a step back. "I'm going now, but if I'm followed, I'll send you the ashes of her arm in a box. More ashes could follow."

Carlisle did a good job of playing for time, while not giving away that we knew the entire Guard was in Forks, so I followed his lead. I cursed Demetri, and he sneered at me before he left. In my mind, some of the wolves asked if they should follow him, and I asked this of Jasper.

"No, don't follow him," Jasper murmured to Jacob, so he could relay the message.

I picked up my radio. "Alice, Demetri is heading back to where the Volturi are. Can you see where he's going? Can you see Bella?"

There was a long pause, while Alice swept the future. "Nothing solid enough to locate them. I think they must still intend to attack the wolves, so that's blocking my sight."

"Damn it!" At this rate I would be swearing like a pirate before we could get close to getting Bella back. Jasper and Eleazar began to confer together, but I couldn't help gazing in the direction that Demetri had disappeared, and quickly tuned out. Unless he took to the water as before, I could easily follow his trail. And now that I thought of it, I wasn't limited to following him. I could return to the location where I'd first heard Bella's thoughts, then work from there. My gift couldn't have gotten that much stronger, so Bella and the Volturi should be somewhere in that vicinity.

But what good would that do? If it were only the four, we might stand a chance of wresting Bella away, but all of them? I shook my head at the uneven odds, and felt my spirits sink even further. What chance did Alice and I stand of staying out of Aro's clutches? What chance did the family stand of surviving this coil?

I glumly kicked at a rock, which splashed into the water. Would it be so bad to give myself up to the Volturi? I remembered the eager avarice with which Aro held my hand, and the glee in his mind as he soaked in all the memories I had gathered across the years. Other people whose memories he had stolen were blissfully unaware of the almost sensual delight he took at gaining their most guarded secrets. I, unfortunately, would not have that ignorance. It would be at the least, disturbing, and at worst, obscene, to feel him take pleasure in crawling around in my mind. But if that was the price for Bella and my family? I mulled the idea over, weighing the trade-off — prostitute myself in exchange for their lives. At least they would _be_ alive. That would have to sustain me. Perhaps over time, I could get used to it.

Raising my head, I took in those around me. Carlisle, Jasper, Eleazar and Jacob – who had changed to human form – still stood deep in conversation. I would have to slip away later. Did I have time to say goodbye to Alice? After all that we had become to each other, being the freaks among the freaks, it didn't feel right to sneak off without a final word. At the same time, I couldn't risk her getting caught up in this predicament. My sacrifice would be hollow if she were not allowed to live free. I could do that much for her. Maybe I would be able to send a message to her later, explaining my decision. That would have to do once I had found my place.

Esme would be heart-broken, of course, but it couldn't be helped. I would always be grateful to her, for being a wonderful mother.

"Jasper, grab Edward."

The words came from both our radios, but the meaning didn't register on me until I heard the rush of footsteps. Eleazar's training kicked in, and I turned to engage Jasper, fending off his attempts to grapple with me. I didn't try to strike him, but simply kept him at bay. Carlisle came quickly between us, placing either hand on our shoulders, and we both came to a wary halt.

"Stop it, boys. What's this all about?"

"Ask Alice," Jasper said, not taking his eyes off me, filling the air between us with waves of calm.

Carlisle spoke into his radio. "What do you see, Alice?"

"Edward's decided to go turn himself in. Once he disengaged his future from the wolves, I saw him walk into the Volturi camp."

"Can you see where they are still?"

"It's wavering, but looks like a forested valley."

"Can you pinpoint it?"

"No, there's nothing distinctive about it. There are hundreds of forested valleys just like it in these mountains."

"Thank you, Alice." Carlisle sighed, and put away his radio. When he raised his eyes to me, I felt a twinge at the sadness I saw there. "Did you want to talk about this, Edward?"

I took a step back from Jasper, and lowered my hands, stuffing them into my pockets. "I think it's the only way," I said quietly. "They hold all the cards right now, and they've brought the entire Guard to deal with us. I can't see any way to keep them from killing you and the rest of the family, except by giving them what they want. Aro did ask me to join them, and he wanted that very much. Killing the family wasn't as important to him, so I hope if I go willingly, he'll be satisfied with that." I hung my head briefly. "And at least I'll be with Bella."

"But you're not the only one he wants," Jasper said. "He wants Alice, too. Do you think he'd be satisfied with the present, if he can have the future?"

Eleazar also chimed in. "And knowing what you do about him, do you believe Aro will deal fairly with you?"

I didn't have an answer for either of them, and shook my head.

"Besides," Carlisle added. "You know how Aro's gift works. Every memory you've had, including intimate moments with Bella, will be open to him. Bella's always been a very private person. Do you think she'd be comfortable living that way?"

I frowned at that, but couldn't refute their arguments. It would be like living the way the wolf pack did — every thought and feeling that you were ever ashamed of, out there in the open for everybody to see. I'd never be free of that papery-skinned hand for the rest of my existence. And to expose the sacred moments that only existed between Bella and I... A shudder shook me as my mind revolted at the thought.

"What else can we do?" I asked helplessly.

"They want us to meet them here." Jasper pointed across the river, and I turned to see. "I don't know why they chose here, but those rock formations on the other side of the river have given me some ideas."

Jasper began to describe his strategy to me, and my eyes widened as I saw the possibilities. He motioned Jacob over and kept talking. The river was over one-hundred yards wide — too wide to jump, and too deep for wading. The rock formations gave an army on the other side natural obstacles that would make it difficult to overrun their positions. But what Jasper was suggesting had potential and, if things went well, we could quite possibly even the odds, maybe even turn them in our favor. Even so, there were still risks.

"What about Bella?" I asked. "They'll be sure to bring her, and I'm sure they won't hesitate to threaten her. You heard Demetri's comment about her ashes."

Jasper held up an index finger. "Threaten, yes. But they won't kill her. They don't want to lose their bargaining chip. We'll just have to pretend like we're complying with their wishes, so they have no reason to harm her."

"But she'll be in the line of fire, and not expecting us to do anything."

"You said you heard her thoughts, so then she must be able to communicate with you. You'll have to warn her to get down when the time comes. If she could just jump into the river she should be fine. Can you do it?"

I thought about it some more, and I had to admit, things didn't look quite as hopeless as they had before. I would just have to trust that my military minded brother knew what he was doing. The fate of my wife, and that of my whole family, rested on his shoulders.

"All right," I agreed. "I'll do my best."

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

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_A/N: And there we are. I do enjoy writing in Edward's voice, so I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did! If you have any thoughts about it, I'd love to hear from you!_ :-)


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